1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a portable bat rack attachable to an open weave fence such as a chain link fence or the like and, more particularly, to a bat rack having a first configuration for storing a plurality of bats and a second more compact configuration for transporting the bat rack.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Baseball has been played for many years in this country. There are hundreds of teams comprising players organized into groups by age. Each team must have an assortment of equipment including bats, batting helmets, balls, and gloves which must be carried to each game. A team may have as many as five or six bats and a few individual players may provide their own bats. The manager or, particularly with teams composed of younger aged players, the coach often has the sole responsibility of transporting all of the team equipment from ball park to ball park. Accordingly, a highly portable, compact bat rack is a significant advantage in reducing the bulk which must both be stored and transported between games and practices.
During a game, it is advantageous for the bats to be suitably stored since, if thrown on the ground, the bats present a significant safety hazard. However, it is necessary that the bats be positioned for ready accessibility to a batter so that he might quickly grab and remove a bat from the rack but yet the rack must not allow the bats to inadvertently slide from the rack. The bat rack should be relatively small in external dimensions so that it will present a minimal obstruction along the batter's path of travel between the dugout and home plate. In addition, it should be easily and quickly attachable and detachable from a chain link fence.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,583 granted Oct. 17, 1972 to George E. Gordon et al. illustrates a typical bat rack which is attachable to a chain link fence for storing baseball bats in a vertical position. The bat racks utilize a single horizontally positioned support member which individually receives a plurality of bats in laterally spaced openings. This rack must be transported to each ball park in this single uncollapsible configuration with its external dimensions essentially unchanged.
In addition to the above cited patent disclosure, the referenced parent patent application and the prior art cited therein should be consulted in putting the instant invention in proper perspective.